Windows 8.1 set for October 18 release

Aug 14, 2013

Customers check out Windows 8 from Microsoft a new Windows Store at Best Buy on August 7, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. A tweaked version of Microsoft's Windows operating system which restores the "Start" button missed by users and updates other features will be available on October 18, the company said Wednesday.

A tweaked version of Microsoft's Windows operating system which restores the "Start" button missed by users and updates other features will be available on October 18, the company said Wednesday.

Windows 8.1 will be offered as a free download to those already using Windows 8, and comes in response to a lukewarm reception to the operating system introduced last year aimed at serving both mobile devices and PCs.

A full retail version of Windows 8.1 will also be available on the same date.

"I know a lot of folks are eager to find out when they will be able to get Windows 8.1," said a blog posting from Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc.

LeBlanc said it would roll out worldwide starting in New Zealand just after midnight.

"Windows 8.1 brings many improvements in areas like personalization, Internet Explorer 11, search which is powered by Bing, built-in apps including a few new ones, an improved Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity with SkyDrive (and much more) that people will enjoy," LeBlack said.

A public preview of Windows 8.1 was made available June 26.

At the time, Microsoft said it had sold more than 100 million licenses for Windows 8 but that the update was planned after listening to customers.

Some analysts say Microsoft was forced to act because of slow adoption of Windows 8, which made some radical changes to the design of the desktop.

With Windows 8, Microsoft was trying to create a system that could be used on mobile touch screen devices while also serving the users of traditional PCs.

Microsoft launched Windows 8 last October, revamping its flagship system in an effort to make inroads in the fast-growing mobile segment. At the same time, it launched its Surface tablet computer.

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User comments : 5

I finally subjected myself to actually using windows 8 instead of just reading about it.

It didn't seem too bad sitting on the desktop screen, everything appeared to be where they should be on a first glance. I opened a browser, then I downloaded a music file and double clicked to listen to it.

Bam. The desktop vanishes, the whole screen goes pastel colored with a bunch of dots rotating, as if I never wanted to do anything else while a program slowly loads up, and when it finally does, I find myself locked in a fullscreen app with no way out. I figured to press the windows key and got back to the desktop, then found out that if you hover your mouse in just the right spot, you get a program switcher where you can close the now-invisible music player, along with a bazillion other apps the actual owner of the machine didn't even know were still running.

Several similiar mishaps later, my impression on the system: "Why did that happen, and why would anyone think that was a good idea?"

All in all, it was pretty much, I know what I want to do and I know I just need to... argh why am I stuck in another useless Metro app again!?

It was like using Windows 1.0, when Windows was barely anything more than a file browser for launching DOS applications that would then take up the whole screen and only allow you to do one thing at a time.

The process known as Media Server Tray Application belongs to software Entriq MediaSphere or MediaSphere by Entriq (irdeto.com).

Description: The file EntriqMediaTray.exe is located in a subfolder of "C:\Program Files". Known file sizes on Windows 7/XP are 360,448 bytes (33% of all occurrences), 368,640 bytes or 372,736 bytes. http://www.file.n...exe.html

The file is not a Windows system file. The program is not visible. The program is loaded during the Windows boot process (see Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run). EntriqMediaTray.exe is able to monitor applications. Therefore the technical security rating is 35% dangerous.

In case you experience problems using EntriqMediaTray.exe, you can remove the entire program using Windows Control Panel.

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Collects identifying information on the first uploaders, tracks propagation and can provide data for evidence packages in the event of possible litigation

Includes tracking by asset, file source, language, user origin and breakouts by unique users and downloads.

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